Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Rethinking the Definition of Term Pregnancy

So this article freaked me out today:

Rethinking the Definition of "Term Pregnancy"

Click on the title to read the abstract. Basically, according to new research, "term pregnancy" should reference women who are 39-40 weeks pregnant. 37-38 weeks should be considered "early term." Early term infants are at higher risk for things like chronic respiratory disease and learning problems. And I thought getting to 37 weeks was enough! Of course, early term infants are at less risk for these things than preterm infants (less than 37 weeks gestation)... but still...

Well, when I reach 37 weeks on Saturday - you know I will be celebrating! It is still full-term to me, and SO much better than 26 weeks!

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